World Desertification Day celebrated today

Wednesday, 17 June 2009 13:02

The World Day to Combat Desertification is observed every year on 17 June. This year, the Day’s theme is “Conserving land and water = Securing our common future”. Desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD) threaten human security by depriving people of their means of life – by taking away food, access to water, the means for economic activities, and even their homes. In worst-case scenarios they undermine national and regional security, force people to leave their homes and can trigger low- or high-level intensity conflicts.

Climate change is also contributing to land degradation. Land and water resources, essential to development and livelihoods are particularly vulnerable to the impact of climate change which is leading to floods, droughts and rising sea levels. It has been estimated that nine out of every ten recorded natural disasters are climate related.

The World Day to Combat Desertification has been observed since 1995 to promote public awareness relating to international cooperation to combat desertification and the effects of drought, and the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, said: “Land degradation threatens nearly a billion people in some 100 countries and it is estimated that around a third of the world’s lands are experiencing desertification. There are many factors at work including climate change. Thus governments need to Seal the Deal on a serious and far-reaching new agreement at the crucial UN climate convention meeting in Copenhagen in just 172 days time”.

In his message on this day, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon encourages us to “recognize the security risks of letting desertification advance unchecked", and to "also recognize that by combating climate change we can help to reverse desertification, increase agricultural productivity, alleviate poverty and enhance global security.”

Today, on the Day to Combat Desertification, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is calling on the global community to accelerate efforts to combat desertification and the effects of drought and to seek solutions to these threats.